The coffee experience: Part One
A well overdue update. I know I am slack. But its only up until recently I have felt that this little update would not get in the way of all the other dramas that go on in my everyday life. A part two to follow very soon, with an ending--I promise.
Enjoy.
I guess it all started on my birthday. That day at the Food and Wine festival when the cafe had a stall there along side all the other major coffee joints in Melbourne. To begin with, I was less than enthusiastic about having to be there. I figured, they are a small business and need me and I shouldn't be so selfish.
But it was after all my birthday, and its not like I could do anything the night before because I had to be there early and I couldn't do anything later on in the evening, because no one can really party out a Sunday night. Anyway. Despite all the volunteered help that S and T were given I still had to be there because I "can make coffee". Sunday morning rolls in and I wander over to the site and its a super shitty day to be outside, but more importantly, for the first half of the day I am not doing anything. T and F are working both coffee machines, while S and A are talking about the coffee and taking orders. I don't know enough of any of the super fine details to be talking about the coffee (no one bothered to ever brief me on the details needed for uber coffee freaks), so I just sorta end up standing there slash playing gopher. In the end S sends me on my lunch break and I go straight to the pub across the road where Luke and Daniel are drinking the day away, and for the first time Luke gets the low down on all the frustrations and headaches tweedledumb and tweedledumbess have been giving me over the course of a few months..with that, Luke offers me a couple pints and the day lightens up a bit, because at least one more person understands that this isn't my dream, and I wouldn't have to put in the hard yard for someone else because they cant get their act into gear.
Later on in the day, I finally get my moment to shine and start making coffees, and while that is happening, T wanders off--and I find out--he has actually gone to have a nap to sleep off the rest of the festival. Tell me this, why am I busting my balls for this bastard on my birthday, when he gets to sleep in?
Never mind that. Tell me why I only got $70 dollars for that day?
The week following my birthday they took one day off and decided that Tuesday they were going to open up the coffee shack again, naturally this means that I would have to go back to work. Come Tuesday I was
1.Not feeling it and
2.A bit sickly so I ended up sleeping in.
At about 12 my phone started ringing like crazy. I ignored it, and then the house phone was going off chops. Daniel calls shortly after (from work) saying that S was trying to get a hold of me so I email her at work explaining I was a bit out of it this morning and ended up sleeping in. All was well...left it at that and did my own thing around the house that day. At about 6pm I was sitting in my room reading a book when I heard a knock on the door, and when answered: "Hello, is Nat Nat at home?" It was Shanny, at the door ready to whisk me away for ice cream. We had a bit of a chat, I wasn't really interested, I just wanted to be left alone for the day but S being S I cant just say "Please leave me alone" without her demanding a reason why. She was very careful and took the time to ask me what was up, not that I gave her much, but she also stressed that if there was anything that they can do to help, to just ask. pfft.
The truth be told is that it has become more and more apparent that I have become a little project for S. Like a lost animal at a shelter that needs a loving home, and she will be the one to provide it. It doesn't help when I am convinced that she also believes in her heart (but will never tell me directly) that Daniel must be a horrible person that beats the shit out of me and will perhaps one day bury me under the porch or something. S will never understand that this isn't what she thinks, that my life isn't miserable JUST BECAUSE of outside factors (ones that do not involve her, T or their willy-nilly behavior). I think she thinks that its outside pressures that are conflicting as opposed to them doing the damage.
So the days go by. Shit don't change. I have tried to talk to them about how to run the business more efficiently because between T, S, A, F and I...I am the one who has put in the most hours in the last 5 months. Regardless of what I say, I still get left with a fuck load of dishes to be done (I cant serve coffee and wash all the latte glasses at the same time when its busy) and more often than not, run out of supplies like certain sized take-away cups or milk. Its slack and it annoys me. I have lost the heart for it because essentially, why should I put the hard yard in for a business that is not my own and I see little enthusiasm from anyone else? For the longest time I wasn't getting paid for the hours that I did there (not that I minded because there wasn't all that much money any how) and now they do cover for my studio which I don't have much time for because I spend so much time there, but everyone else seems to get paid. This isn't about money though, this is me feeling like my generosity has been taken for granted.
In the last month they have acquired a proper shop space, which means we will now be out of the weather. How they have gone to prepare for this shop is beyond ridiculous and really is another story on its own. One that would probably make you just as annoyed as I am.
Besides the point at the end of one day, just before Easter T asks me if I would like to have a look at the progress (which wasn't much) and I start helping him think/plan the set up. I am late as it is, but hey, my mates need some help, so help is what they are going to get. S comes in after work, sees what we are doing, decides to be a bitch about things and they both end up arguing. I walk away, very late, and annoyed that she has snapped at me for no reason, and I am just getting way too involved in something I shouldn't be getting into anyway. Good Friday rocks up, we shouldn't of been open anyway, but we are. Its busy as hell and S decides that T needs more help than I do and I am pretty much left to fend for myself, despite me calling when I was desperate. I didn't get jack shit for that either.
Now we fast forward to last week: T breaks out into some mad crazy rash because of antibiotics he is taking for his toe. I don't know whats wrong with it, but he was due to have an operation on it on Wednesday, leaving Thursday and Friday for him to recover. Tuesday he is actually so sick that S takes the day off work to help around the shop and help him. I come in, S leaves with Sandy to pick up supplies, because we are running low on several items. Again I start getting desperate and hours later she shows up with supplies and a very sick T who should either be in bed, or at a doctors. He ends up spending the rest of the day in the area, sleeping in my studio till its time to go home. In the mean time, S has recruited another friend and asked her to come down to help set up the new shop, but in the end they get absolutely nothing done because they sat around and chatted instead.
At the end of the day, she also mentions that she was talking with Luke who had recently dislocated his shoulder. Being a new business owner himself with the cafe around the corner, and desperate to keep open he casually mentions that he might ask me to do a bit of work for him. Immediately she volunteers me. I would of gladly helped when he would get round to asking me, but seriously. "
Not to mention when Luke was asking me S was around. He goes: "Hey Nat I was wondering if you could cover me for a couple hours next Tuesday..?" to which S replies "Yes, of course." Because, her name is suddenly Nat. Right?
Later on, when we were on our own S explains that they really need the money and with T's operation the next day, T has strict instructions to lay off his foot for the next two days, she asks, with puppy dog eyes and almost close to tears if I can cover Thursday and Friday. I say sure, but when the time comes round I am feeling like absolute rat shit and cant go in, and that's when she pesters an answer out of me to do the weekend, even when I don't normally do weekends. So after all that fucking drama of needing money, and help on weekends, they decide a week before opening their new store..that they can use the weekend to go to the country for a couple days and visit T's parents for a breather. :/ Not the way I would do it, but fine.
This Monday I am feeling like shit. I felt vommity, had a headache and just was not up for the world, but still covered my shift. All of the problems I was having all lead to my wisdom tooth. When S dropped in for lunch I explained to her that I was feeling sickly because of my tooth then she went into a long ass spiel how I have to do something about it. I pointed out that I was aware of this, but, I don't get paid. And Daniel and I are technically surviving off a sole income, and dentists are not cheap. S who is well aware of living on a single income brushes it off. This is the same person who supports her lazy ass T, who barely lifts a finger for his great coffee dream, is trying to pay off their own house and all the bills and great debt that they are swimming in. S implied her understanding of my reluctance to go to a dentist was because Daniel is a tight ass with cash, who will not take me to a dentist because it costs money. Which he isn't mind you. But that made me really mad.
I also confirm that I am to do some work for Luke the next day, since she made it my priority, to which she asks what hours will I do there. 10:30-4ish I say..and even then..she still wanted me to open up for them in the morning. :/
I had full intentions of opening for them in the morning, but I was feeling really sick, my wisdom tooth had gotten worse, plus my usual travel arrangements had been shifted around. At about 9, Luke calls me asking if I can still come in because he heard from T that I wasn't feeling well. I explained I was trying to get in but sorta struggling. Even then I made it into Luke's an hour late. As soon as I walk through the door, S has called Luke, to ask if I even went in...because I didn't go in for them.
By the look on Luke's face I am embarrassed and mortified because its clear he doesn't want to get involved, and he shouldn't have to either.
Daniel and his mum managed to pull some strings and got me an appointment at a dentist straight after I was done at Luke's, and long story short, I get my tooth pulled out and on the way home, S is ringing Daniel's phone. He cant answer it because hes driving, but if we don't answer..she will ring, and ring and ring. I answer, pre-warning her that now is not a good time I just got my tooth yanked out..but she ends up pushing my buttons and cornering me..and I went off at her.
I was so angry with her, that I don't even know what I said. All I know is that she was talking to my in a psychologist/mummy sort of tone and that made me even angrier, she doesn't even think that she has done anything wrong and continues to want to have the conversation even though I insist this isn't the time and place for this.
"You havent really been yourself lately, you havent had much passion" she says. "S, I haven't had much patience ever since my birthday" "well what has happened since then?"
I think that's a pretty big hint. Again it don't take Captain Obvious to see I didn't want to be there on that day. It was obvious that i lacked enthusiasm for this stupid crapola event. And its pretty obvious that I resent the fact that I get jack shit for all the time and effort and patience.
Then she started to give me the advice she gives T and at that point, I just went for the jugular by saying "I am not your little T"